Some time ago when this thread opened I spend few days brainstorming ideas and taking notes, since Meridian is around again I think I should write some of the ideas down.
I think the GUI should stay the same for both X-Com intercepting UFOs and UFOs intercepting X-Com. With all the options player have. For the sake of consistency. Even if that choosing disengaging speed will just mean UFO will take more time to get into range. Even better the GUI should be the same and the system working within the GUI we already have. I think there is a potential of UFOs changing their behaviour depending on player actions or other circumstances.
There should be probably UFO maneuvers described in the text line in the GUI. For better readability of the game. Can't check the video if is or isn't already there.
There is, I think, a problem with handling multiple craft battles. When a hunter-killer tries to engage X-Com craft that is already following a UFO. I think the hunter-killer should overtake the interception window making the X-Com craft disengage the original target. If the system gets more complicated (and I believe it will) I think sticking to one UFO vs multiple X-Com crafts would be the best for both programing, tradition and design clarity. Multiple crafts attacking each other could very easily devolve into unreadable mess.
Another thing I think could be problem is attacking X-Com transport planes returning from a mission. As far as I know when ground mission ends, all the loot is transported to the base immediately. That would not happen if the plane is shot down. Also if there will be some sort of mission after the plane is shot down, it should take into consideration all the injusries and lost or used equipment on board. For now simply excluding returning planes from hunter killer AI would be sufficien to avoid all these problems.
The radar range of UFO should be hidden from player. I think at least researching the UFO type should be necessary. Or better UFO type researched and Hyperwave Decoder in range.
Hunter Killers current target should be readable through Hyperwave decoder.
Also an idea of escorting X-Com transports by fighter planes came up in the thread. But it would be kinda difficult since if the UFO, which is almost always faster, picks the transport as a first target the fighter can't do much. There could be solution with either X-Com crafts flying in formations as single node on Geoscape which would need new systems to set it up. Or the hunter killer could just follow X-Com craft for some time at the begining of dogfight in similar manner X-Com can follow UFO, making it possible for another X-Com craft to join in into the fight and reducing this problem to normal one UFO vs multiple X-Com crafts battle. This solution is typical gamedesign avoiding of the problem, but I think it can work well enough.
And now some wild ideas that I had:
- High level solution and I think in the end the best solution for maneuvers in interception would be to make all the maneuvers skillcheck of the pilot instead of just comparision of the craft speeds with pilot giving only bonuses. Each success means getting nearer to desired position (normal, cautious, standoff, disengage) - how far of for how long depending on how succesfull the pilot was. It can be justified by pilot outmaneuvering the UFO. When X-Com craft disengages the UFO is slowed down for some time while the X-Com can get some distance. Tie in experience gain depending on succesfull skillchecks and it would make pilots more of a characters and air combat more involved.
- New Craft equipment like Mind shield (masking the craft with the use of pilots PSI skill/strenght) and portable Hyperwave decoder.
- Since UFOs are now aware of X-Com crafts on geoscape and can react to them, what about UFOs running away from X-Com? or calling reinforcements. I don't know if generating a new mission called reinforcements that just spawns one single wave of attack UFOs in the same area is feasible or more robust system would be needed.
- UFO can have preferences of type of X-Com craft they will attack. Each UFO having list of types of Crafts to engage and avoid. With types of crafts definable by player similarly to categories. So in the end there could be UFOs that will attack transports but run away from fighters or UFOs that will prefer some type of fighter before others. I think two lists of categories (one for avaoiding one for engaging) with weights and chances could work. Chance determining if the UFO will react checked periodically in some time increments as lont as the crafts are in range and weight determining if the UFO will change it's target if another craft enters his range - higher weight wins.
- UFOs reacting to player depending on their action in the interception window. There could be a chance that if UFO damages X-Com craft enough it will decide to switch to hunter killer mode and finish it or on the contrary if the UFO is damaged, it will just try to run.
- Also UFOs instead of attacking X-Com craft only follow him to the base. Keeping it's distance just like player could with standoff range.
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